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Monday, October 6, 2014

TV Round Up: 2014

In both 2011 and 2012, I wrote a post on almost every single new show that debuted in the Fall. It was A LOT of posts, which is why I grew tired of it by 2013.

However, this year, every single show will be reviewed in one big post.

If you get bored and go back and look at those old posts (you could start here), you'll see that my ratings were surprisingly accurate. Anything I gave a B- or higher survived the full season. I'd like to say that my ratings also correlated to which shows also got a second season, but TV executives are stupid (I miss you, 'Go On').

NBC:A to Z - Let me put this up front: I do not like 'schtick'. Off of the top of my head, I can't name one 'schtick' show that has succeeded in my eyes. The closest, before the end of last season, would have been 'How I Met Your Mother' and the fact that they went back to the schtick at the end ruined the show for me. That being said, I don't like the 'schtick' of this show. I like Zelda, she has depth. Andrew, however, is an annoying wimp. I'm not calling 'romantics' wimps, just this guy. Maybe this says a lot about my view on people and relationships, but I really want Zelda to force Andrew to grow up a bit before dating him. He's naive and selfish. The two leads weren't even my favorite characters. I found the bearded best friend to be the most endearing character. And the British female best friend. BBad Judge - I like Kate Walsh. I like feisty mess Kate Walsh even better. It's got a well-rounded cast. It may not have much of a direction right now, but I much rather start watching a show without a direction than one with one that's poorly executed. For this show to last, though, it's going to need more of a larger story, like the development on 'the Mindy Project'. BThe Mysteries of Laura - Couldn't make it more than five minutes. Left to take a shower and came back. Basing a hole show on one barely likeable character was not a smart decision. It would have been much better if they had just eliminated the family aspect of the show and only focused on the police department. C-

ABC:Blackish - The cast has great chemistry. It seems to rely a little too much on popular sitcom tropes rather than being its own show. The voice over was a bit over the top and the screen labels and the visual hyperbole. It's probably just over the top since it was the pilot, but if they reign it back a bit, it could be interesting. B+Forever - First series to get a hulu favorite of the new bunch. Good fit for ABC, it felt very much like Castle. I like the idea of a big villian, but shows become so disappointing after the big villian is resolved (aka Red John on the Mentalist). I like the backstory on Abe, it's a nice twist. I wish, though, shows wouldn't pair opposite sex partners just for sexual tension. Why couldn't they just be platonic? I really wished the secret would have been revealed to the lady cop by the end of the episode, too. And why does his former wife look like she's 17? Probably to prevent her from looking older if the series run for several years. The showrunners better hope the main guy doesn't age poorly. A-How to Get Away with Murder - This pilot sucked me in more than I thought it would. The final twist was pretty great. However, I don't think I'll be watching this show. I have a hard time trusting Shonda Rhymes. Her shows start out enticing and quickly escalate to absurdity. Also, I really wanted the guy from Harry Potter to play his character British. Why couldn't he have an accent? If you're going to burn and bury a body, wouldn't you dig the hole first and then burn it in the hole? That way it reduces the risk of someone seeing the fire and you don't have to move burned guy into the hole? It'll probably be great for people that like these types of shows, like Scandal and Revenge, but it's not for me. A-Manhattan Love Story - Ok, another sitcom based around a schtick: internal dialogue narration. The only reason I want to like this show is for Analeigh Tipton. She's adorable. However, the show tries to turn her into a blonde version of Jess from 'New Girl', but shyer and less quirky. It's endearing, but not believable. And the male lead could be interesting if they focus on him growing into a better person from being around the female lead (not a good sign when you don't know the character names). This could be a better show if they round out the cast and make it more of an ensemble. Purely focusing on two characters who have loud thoughts won't be enough to save it. C-Selfie - This show got so much bad press before it even debuted that I decided I needed to like it without having seen it. I love Karen Gillan (redheads got to stick together) and any show John Cho has been on has been great (I MISS YOU, GO ON and Sleepy Hollow is just insane, yet genius). However, it's another show based on a 'concept' of John Cho mentoring Karen Gillan until she's a better person. When will writers learn that you can't sustain a show on these concepts? You're just setting yourself up for failure. Hopefully, it will evolve, but for now, I'm skeptical. C+

CBS:NCIS: New Orleans - I like spin-offs. None of this clunky character introduction. Strong cast. Soft spot in my heart for the guy from 'Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift'. Nothing remarkable about this show. It's just like watching an episode of 'NCIS: Los Angeles' set in new Orleans. BScorpion - I'm really not a big fan of the 'I'm so smart that I can't function in normal society' schtick. Why do people believe that geniuses can't take care of themselves? I know they try to explain it away, but I don't buy it. Also, "I have a high IQ" "I have a high IQ" "I HAVE A HIGH IQ". Ugh. I could become a fan of this show if they flush out the supporting characters. You know I'm all for a well-rounded female mechanical engineer on TV, as long as they make an effort to round her out, not just immediately make her a romantic interest for someone. And I love Robert Patrick, I don't know why though... C+Stalker - I wanted to like this show. I have such admiration for the way Maggie Q plays strong characters. This show is terrible, though. It starts off thinking its viewers will buy whatever they sell. A car wouldn't explode like that. Period. It's not how cars and gasoline work. I don't like when shows use 'the news' to talk about the case, but says things that the real news would never say, like 'burned alive'. Also, Dylan McDermot's character has absolutely no redeeming qualities. He's a misogynistic, obnoxious asshole and any attempts by the writers to get me to feel sympathy for him will go over like a lead balloon. I read a review which talked about how much this show hates women and I have to agree. Maggie Q strength unfortunately is not enough to balance out the harm this show does to women. D

Fox: Gotham - I want to like this show, but I'm fearful that they're trying to do too much to live up to the mythology of the characters. It felt like they were trying to tie too many characters into the premiere. I would have been fine with them waiting a few episodes or even until the second season to introduce characters like Catwoman, the Penguin, Poison Ivy, and the Riddler. I do like that they made Alfred rough around the edges. BGracepoint - Well shot, the opening tracking main street shop is quite impressive. However, that's not enough to draw me in for a ten week mini-series. I can't say anything other than the filming struck me as good during the episode. If I didn't see episodes 2 through 9 and only saw who did it in episode 10, I would be okay with that. CRed Band Society - This show has potential, but I have a hard time seeing right now how you stretch the premise into a whole season, let alone several seasons. And I found myself poking apart the show. If Leo is going through chemo, which is why he is bald, shouldn't he not have eyebrows either? Also, couldn't they hire an actor who is actually missing his leg? Bright spot: childhood crush Thomas Ian Nicholas, aka the 'Rookie of the Year'. Ugly spot: Astro, the punk from X-Factor who should just go away. This could be a good show, but I don't know if it's for me. B

I can't get the CW at my house. I may start watching some of their new shows once they're up on Hulu.

That's every show released by the time I post this! Well, minus 'Cristela', 'Mulaney', and 'Madam Secretary'. Perhaps the lack of review speaks more than a review itself.